Gem cutting – How it has changed over the years (50% of the original rough diamond is lost during the cutting of a round brilliant gem)

How does a mass of mineral or crystal become a dazzling diamond, ruby or sapphire? It’s an amazing process called gem cutting or lapidary and makes all the difference in the final value of the stone. It was developed first in Venice in the early 1300’s and was seen in Paris and Bruges in the mid-1400s.Good cutting is a precise art that catches the light just so, and captures the beauty of the gem. Poor cutting destroys it.

Most gems start out actually being sawed with a special lapidary saw into a rough shape, such as square, round, pear or marquise. It’s then ground with a diamond-infused wheel to further refine the shape. The gem cutter uses a series of finer and finer abrasives to get closer to the clear heart of the gem. Cabochon gems are polished to a smooth overall surface, sometimes held by hand, but more often fixed or “dopped” with wax or adhesive to a dowel to hold it while the lapidarist polishes the stone.

Transparent stones are most often faceted, a process where flat planes of the stone are cut and polished over the surface in a precise, symmetrical pattern. It’s critical that the planes match up perfectly, or the beauty of how the light is captured by the facets will be lost.
If a stone is cut to flat, the brightness of the gem will also dissappear. When a stone is properly faceted, it captures the light so it bounces around inside the stone, giving it the sparkle we love and that helps determine the value of the gem. If the stone is cut too flat, or the facets don’t meet precisely, the light doesn’t bounce off the angles in the facets to maximum effect.

Jewelry Thailand is one of the most popular in the world as Thailand is famous for good quality jewelry and precious gem stones. IFC Jewelry in Chiang Mai Thailand produces one of the finest jewelry in the world, its customers includes many celebrities which can be viewed from their website at www.ifcjewelry.com - Jewelery Chiang Mai

Our love of diamonds and admiration of their fire and brilliance has given rise to many different cuts of diamonds. While we still see some of the earliest styles of diamond cuts – such as the round and emerald-cut, there are many more types of diamond cuts today, some of them patented by their original designers and costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The most popular cut for a diamond ring today is still the round, brilliant cut. It was developed in the 17th century in Venice. It is still preferred when the raw crystal is in an octahedron formation. Even though almost 50% of the stone is cut away in the process, often two stones can be carved from an octahedron. More unusually-shaped stones are used for fancy cuts, such as a marquise, pear or heart-shaped diamond. The earliest brilliants had 17 facets on the top of the stone and were called double-cut. This was soon improved with stones cut with 33 facets and were called triple-cut brilliants.

In the 19th century, with the development of better gem-cutting tools, more innovations in diamond cutting styles were developed. In 1919, Marcel Tolkowsky combined the art of cutting with the science of light and refraction and published his book, Diamond Design. These relatively recent geometric calculations were the forerunner of much of diamond cutting work today and led to other, more precise mathematical models engineered to enhance the fire and brilliance of diamonds.

There are now cuts such as the princess cut, trillions, ovals, pear and heart-shaped. Some innovative cutters have even fashioned star or butterfly-shaped diamonds! One patented cut, the Ashoka diamond, is an oblong cut with rounded, brilliant ends, and requires a stone 3 carats or larger. It’s an exceptionally beautiful (and pricey!) diamond shape. Tiffany & Co. has also patented a cut of diamond called the Lucida cut. It’s the lucky bride to be whose fiancé gives her one of these highly coveted stones!

IFC Jewelry, Jewelry Thailand offers one of the world’s finest jewelry in the world. Located in Chiang Mai, a popular destination in northern part of Thailand, IFC Jewelry produces, wholesale and retails diamonds and jewelries for customers from all around the world including many celebrities who are featured in its website www.IFCjewelry.com - Jewelery Chiang Mai

Lovelinks are a collection of dazzling jewellery pieces that allow you to design and customise your own necklace or bracelet exactly the way you want it.  Lovelinks are made using the finest sterling silver making them a quality and sought after piece of jewellery.  They are rapidly growing in popularity due to their versatility.  Lovelinks are almost unique in that they allow you to create your own bespoke jewellery piece using the Lovelinks chains, beads and charms.  There are lots of different types of lovelinks to choose from including :-

- Zodiac Signs & Enamel

You can choose from a selection of zodiac sign beads such as cancer, leo, saggitarius etc - they make a perfect birthday gift.  Also available in a beautiful enamel finish.

- Murano Glass

Murano is famous form of glass which originates from the Venetian island of Murano.  Murano glass lovelinks can be bought singularly or in sets of three of six.

- Cubic Zirconians

Lovelinks can be set in Cubic Zirconia.  This is a synthesized material that is noted for its durability and flawlessness.

- Animal Charms

Lovelinks also come in a selection of animal like beads including hens, hippo’s, giraffe’s.

- Patterned Links

These are Lovelinks that have patterns oxidised into them.

- Gold Plated Links

Although lovelinks are made from solid sterling silver, they are also available in a partly or fully gold plated finish.  They go very well with coloured glass or stone beads.

- 14ct Gold Links

Sterling Silver Lovelinks with 14 carat gold, these are generally more expensive than gold plated lovelinks.

You can also purchase lovelinks in sets allowing you to create your own unique combinations of lovelinks. Lovelinks are high quality handmade pieces of jewellery and can be bought from around £12 for a basic single sterling silver bead.  You can also purchase a lovelinks chain or simply use an existing chain, there are endless possibilities!

Buying jewellery such as charm bracelets should be an exercise in sheer pleasure, right? We are talking about pure extravagance when it comes to jewellery, after all. You need a new piece of jewellery? Nobody NEEDS jewellery, at least not in the same way they need food, clothing, sleep or water. Buying jewellery can be an expensive and challenging mission, especially if you get spoiled for choice with all the different styles, designs, metals and glasses to twinkling at you through the jewellery shop windows.

When picking out charms for bracelets or necklaces there are many things to consider, but rule No. One is to be led by your personal taste. In the end, nothing else matters.

Letting your personal taste be the deciding factor in choosing charms for your favourite bracelets is a thought to be kept in the forefront when shopping for jewellery, however there are other things to keep in mind. It’s good thinking to think about how much you want/are able to spend before walking into a jewellers or going through an online buying process. It’s always fun to window shop with the range of high end luxury items on display in shop windows. Sooner or later it will be time to get down to business and sift through the sea of bracelets, charms, links and pendants out there. Your budget helps narrow down the choices while your heart guides you to the charms that suit your style whether that is classic, contemporary or modern.

Displaying a charm on a necklace or bracelet is almost like making a statement about who you are. What do you want to put out there about yourself? The charms you choose might speak of your love for a hobby or pet, or even to express a passion for something personal or spiritual. It can be fun to build upon a theme in your jewellery when it comes to charms, using a favourite colour as a basis, or calling on symbols to express love, family, or friendship. The more focused you are on the style of charms you are after, the more likely you will be to find ones that you will be proud to put on display.

When you have planned what sort of charms you are looking for it’s time to pair charms to a suitable bracelet. All the better if you have already chosen a favourite bracelet or necklace. However, buying charms and bracelets simultaneously will better allow for them to compliment each other perfectly. The jewellery collection by Lovelinks includes the novel and fairly new slant on the charm bracelet with each stunning link unique in design. You can get Lovelinks bracelets in silver, gold and even leather.

Finally, like a new car, or new pair of jeans, a test drive is in order. When you hear the compliments from family and friends at your stunning new charm bracelet you can be proud that you have expressed your unique sense of taste and beauty.